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Drought is driving poor Indian women into exploitative sugar cane work in the central state of Maharashtra, with many of the migrant labourers opting to undergo unnecessary hysterectomies to work even harder, research showed on Feb 7. Years of failed monsoons, extreme heat and droughts have led residents of Beed, a district in the top sugar-producing state to leave and become day labourers on plantations, said the report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), a London-based think-tank. The research found more than half of the Beed women who had gone to work on sugar plantations had undergone...

Over the years rock carvings of a previously unknown civilisation have been found in India's western state of Maharashtra. Now, a cave in the same region is promising to shed more light on the creators of these prehistoric artworks and their lives...The cave, located around 10km (six miles) away from Koloshi village in the Konkan region of western Maharashtra, was discovered by a group of researchers last year. Excavations earlier this year revealed several stone tools in the cave that date back tens of thousands of years...The cave, which is situated in a secluded forest in Sindhudurg, was discovered by...

The hydrogen fuel cell uses hydrogen and air to generate electricity, producing only heat and water as tailpipe emissions. The reaction occurs across an electrochemical cell similar to a conventional battery cell, causing energy engines used to propel the vehicle forward. Union minister of state for science and technology Dr Jitendra Singhsaid that if a diesel bus is compared to a hydrogen bus, it typically emits 100 tons of co2 per annum on long-distance routes, and there are millions of buses across the country, reports The Times of India. Also, a hydrogen fuel cell truck's operational cost is competitively lower...

Kailash Temple is the world’s largest monolithic masterpiece in Ellora, Maharashtra, India. The magnificent structure was carved by skilled craftsmen from a single piece of solid rock in a cave on a mountainside. It took more than two decades to construct the entire building. Table of Contents ABOUT THE TEMPLE ORIGIN ARCHITECTURE Kailash TempleThe Kailasa Temple in Ellora, India( image source ) ABOUT THE TEMPLE Generation after generation of people is always fascinated by the architecture of the Ancient world. Whether it’s the Pyramids of Egypt, the magnificent examples of Roman architecture, or the splendor of the Oriental Temples, these...

As Elon Musk struggles in acquiring land rights for testing his audacious Hyperloop project in the United States, India has emerged out of nowhere to offer him a helping hand. India is offering Musk's SpaceX a big chunk of land and permission to do the required testing in Pune, a city 118 kilometers away from Mumbai. The country's Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said he made the proposal to Hyperloop's parent company SpaceX during his recent visit to the United States. “I just offered them ... they want some road for experimental purpose. I offered them the westerly bypass of...

The rock carvings -- known as petroglyphs -- have been discovered in their thousands atop hillocks in the Konkan region of western Maharashtra. Mostly discovered in the Ratnagiri and Rajapur areas, a majority of the images etched on the rocky, flat hilltops remained unnoticed for thousands of years... animals, birds, human figures and geometrical designs are all depicted. The way the petroglyphs have been drawn, and their similarity to those found in other parts of the world, have led experts to believe that they were created in prehistoric times and are possibly among the oldest ever discovered. "Our first deduction...

The state that includes Mumbai, India’s financial capital, this week became the first in the country to ban the possession and sale of beef, imposing fines and up to five years in prison for violations. The ban in the populous western state of Maharashtra, which was passed this week, came as an amendment to a 1972 law prohibiting the slaughter of cows, which has been expanded to ban the slaughter of bulls, bullocks and calves. The slaughter of water buffaloes will still be allowed, subject to permission from the authorities.

Nine people including one foreigner were killed and 45 injured in a suspected bomb blast in the German Bakery at Koregaon Park which also houses a Jewish prayer house and the Osho Ashram here this evening. Pune Police Commissioner Satya Pal Singh said there were five women among the victims. The blast took place at the German Bakery, an old business establishment, at around 7:15pm. Initial reports have suggested that the Indian Mujahideen is being suspected to be behind the blast. "There was a bomb blast. There have been eight deaths and 33 people were injured", said Pune joint commissioner...

A state in western India has declared war on animal poaching by allowing forest guards to shoot hunters on sight in an effort to curb rampant attacks on tigers and other wildlife. The government in Maharashtra says injuring or killing suspected poachers will no longer be considered a crime. Forest guards should not be "booked for human rights violations when they have taken action against poachers," Maharashtra Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam said Tuesday. The state also will send more rangers and jeeps into the forest, and will offer secret payments to informers who give tips about poachers and animal smugglers,...

Maharashtra tops jihadi target Pioneer News Service | Mumbai 148 killed 8 blasts in 11 minutes ---- It was like a chronicle of a tragedy foretold. Mumbai was always a soft target. The heart of the Indian economy, the tinsel metropolis, which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to turn into Shanghai has had several close shaves with terror in the last few months. The signals should have been enough to keep intelligence agencies on high alert, round-the-year, round-the-clock. Not just Mumbai. Indeed, the whole of Maharashtra was perched on a tinderbox with reports of explosives seizure pouring in on a...

At least 70 people have died of water-borne diseases in the western Indian state of Maharashtra which was badly hit by floods two weeks ago. Health officials say more than 5,000 people are suffering from high fever and cholera. But they say that leptospirosis, a disease spread through rats, caused many of the deaths. The floods killed more than 1,000 people and affecting 20 million others in the state and its capital, Mumbai. Reports say some hospitals are unable to cope with the flow of patients, with some lying on floors as beds run out. "We're finding more and more...

The death toll from last week's floods in India's western state of Maharashtra has risen to 1,023 people. Many people remain missing after 10 days of record rainfall, making it likely that the death toll will rise. Relief work has been stepped up across the state. Air and road services have been restored. But millions of people, particularly in rural areas, still lack basic amenities and an overflowing dam poses a new flood threat in Mumbai (Bombay). In Mumbai the rains have eased and city officials claim that life in the city is returning to normal. "It [Mumbai] has got...

A doctor at the local Siddarth hospital, who treated the first SARS patient in Maharashtra, on Thursday charged the state health authorities with providing pollution masks instead of clinical masks to the hospital.Dr Anand Kenj, who treated Stanley D'silva, said, "The masks are so bad that one cannot wear it more than half-an-hour"."The masks are devoid of filter which is used to separate the micro-organism from entering into the lungs. Hence, we have returned the same", Kenj said, adding wearing of such masks makes the quarantined person suffocate.Siddarth hospital chief Dr Vijay Setia accused the authorities of delaying shifting...